Have a fabulous frugal February with the fantastic frugaleers

[northender]

As we filled the old thread, thought I'd start a new one for February.

wow the thread is moving fast!

So far so good, I haven't made any unplanned purchases, only petrol/train and £1 breakfast at work. Tonight I need to do an online grocery shop and should probably look for a Valentine's present for DH. In theory I'd like to make the card but not sure I'll have time. Good excuse to while away a bit of time on Pinterest though.

Italian - you really don't need very much for a newborn at all - a few clothes, nappies, car seat, sling. Somewhere to sleep, but that can be with you if you're OK with that. Maybe a couple of bottles, microwave steriliser, cartons of formula if it will give you peace of mind about breastfeeding. You'll be amazed how many things you get bought. Anything else you can buy as and when you need it, and then there is eBay etc.

I think we must be lucky with our local toddler group - it's £1.50 and includes tea/coffee/cake and a snack for the DC. The hall hire is very cheap though so maybe that's why. We also do a music class at £50 per term, was £100 until DS went to school. I do find the activities add structure to the day/week and much needed social life.

Last night I made a list of all the things we need over the next few months eg 2 x new car seats. Seems like all our cash is accounted for already, which feels a bit depressing really!

Italian you don't need a nappy bin they just end up smelling! High chair can wait until six months (ikea one is good). In the cot you only need a a sheet and a blanket to start with then once baby is big enough (8lb I think) use a Grobag (baby sleeping bag reduces the chance of cot death) so avoid pillow and duvet etc. I wouldn't bother with swimming stuff yet you won't want to do it for the first two months I donut just wait until you see something in the sale. Don't forget muslins! It's so nice that your mil will be there to help you

Ooh yes, muslins! I used them for everything!

Muslins is like cloth nappies right?

No it's like a big rag you can use for sick and dribble and snot etc etc here

Ah cool, thanks :)

Ohhelp group 3/4 I think (the age 4-11 ones). Do you have one to sell?

Hello, some lovely advice on here about baby essentials, so true that you don't need half of what you think you might. My tip would be a rucksack (cheap, primark if you like) for a changing bag, so much easier/practical to carry than an over shoulder carryall.

Another frugal tip I've thought of whilst reading through...last year's Valentine's gift to DH was a 5 frame from matalan with space for 3 pictures, colour photocopied maps of 3 places of significance to us labelled 'then, now, later' with the date. Looks really good and had thought behind it.

Had a bit of a spend today. My bike has a complete flat tyre and needs a new inner tube so 3 on buses. 10.50 on making myself a 'lunch store' at work. I spent far too much wandering down to shops for lunch or snacks last month so have bought a few ready meals to keep in work freezer, packets if rice, crisps and biscuits. It won't win any nutrition prizes but I'm challenging myself to no lunchtime spends for the next 10 weeks!

Another NSD. But the cc bill arrived! Doh.

I was off work today but still sent DS to nursery I have to pay regardless! Spent 1.40 on cans of Pepsi. Should have been 1.99 for 8 but one was missing. Cinema was 7 something but well worth it. Then I spent 3.89 on bargainous bits and bobs in jack fultons. Oh I also got a pair of jeans from m&s but I used a birthday voucher.

italian muslins are a must in my opinion. I didn't have a changing table but I don't have a lot of room. Initially I used a mat on my dining table as I had had a c section. Now I just use the mat on the floor and keep the mat under the sofa (or I chase DS round the flat while clinging on to one leg and trying not to get poo everywhere)

Ok, just spent £70 (total) on a pair of a flip flops each for DH and I and a pair of casual shoes for DH (he has been wearing this one pair of walking boots for years and finally admitted that he'd like something a bit simpler!).

So as you can see, doesn't look particularly frugal at my end right now, but this is how we always do it for some reason. We do a big shop and then that's it for ages. Once I've done the shoes, we won't be buying anymore for probably at least 2 years (except for DS of course). I would like a pair of tan boots but I have annoyingly wide calves and only Duo will do, but they're not essential and given the cost and that we're slowly creeping towards spring I might wait until next winter! We last bought clothes in August and that's pretty much us done, I would like to buy a black sleeved top and a black cardigan to replace two that have now given up after a good few years of use.

So pleased with myself, was making fajitas for tea, got to the bit where tge salsa goes in, cabt find it...swear blind id bought it....anyhow dh suggested nipping to tesco and i said NO il find something....opened a tin of tvalue chopped tomatoes, mixed in with the powdered spice in the pan...tasted better than the jarred stuff! Im convinced i saved over £20 as im sure while in tesco i wudda bought crap

Turnoffthelights I am going to sound so non frugal and spoiled, but I do not like rucksacks at all, reminds me of school bags... And it need to be a bag, that both me and my DP will use, I have been looking at something like this www.baby-dump.nl/index.php?page=product&id=11516&groep_id=468&merk=2948
which I quite like and not overly pricey I think

What! You don't like rucksacks?! (Btw, you're not the first to decline my rucksack suggestion!) I regularly make DH carry our blue spotty one! The bag you've linked is lovely though, very suitable for both you and DH x

Turnoff Don't worry, we're with you on the rucksack We thought we were the only ones! I thoroughly dislike changing bags... (although, tbh, we own a super compact one that we got cheap off eBay! It doesn't look like a changing bag though and it fits in the rucksack )

Italian Kaiser also do a really good and practical changing bag, I think they are a Dutch company and also do fantastic footmuffs for cold weather.

(this is a changing bag that I actually like!)

Anybody have any good recommendations for pram/3 in 1. I quite like a city modern model, where the cot, strolly and auto chair can be placed on the frame. My favorite model sofare is iCandy and Stokke, are they woth their price?

Hi there, just checking in. I thought and hoped today would be nsd, then an Avon order arrived which I had forgotten about, so that was £12. I was quite glad when my Avon lady told me she was quitting, as lovely as she is I do get carried away with an Avon brochure.

Remember the cheap asda delivery, well my order of cat food, toilet paper and kitchen roll has disappeared from my order, no wonder it was cheap. So £8.00 in farmfoods buying the missing things. They did work out cheaper than asda anyway!

Also remember the popping corn I bought on my frugal , above mentioned asda order. Massive bag for £2.00, makes tonnes of the stuff. Well I have only gone and cracked a bloody tooth on the bloody stuff!! So an unplanned trip to the dentist is on the cards now! Its so hard this money saving lark, all my good intentions and on the first day of the month I smash my phone and now I crack my tooth. We are only into the 5th day of the month!

picknmix loling (bitterly) at your description of changing a toddler's nappy :D

Delasi your clothes buying sounds very healthy, I am trying to stop buying blooming clothes (am on the no clothes for a year thread, have serious doubts about my ability to do it but we'll see), and only buy to replace what's worn out.

What bad luck, dosey :(

Me - £50 in supermarket. DH assuslted his CC again.

Italian I would agree to just getting a cot and a couple of sheets before moving your baby into a baby sleeping bag. Gro bag are a great choice and there's plenty of second hand ones around. If you buy new they come with a room thermometer and guide for what to dress baby in. Current guidelines say no duvets or pillows for children under 12 months and growing evidence suggests not attaching cushion bumpers to the sides of the cot.
I would also reconsider the changing table. I promise you that you won't be disappearing off to the bathroom every time baby needs changing. Mats transport easily and can slide under tables or sofas when not in use.

I've also been shoe shopping but only because current favourites aren't going to last much longer. I did use vouchers/cashback etc to get approx a third off though so I'm happy with that. Also used my Christmas money that's been stashed away waiting for me to treat myself.

Well done Hickory on your culinary success. Since I've had to think about our budget more I've actually become more creative in the kitchen and often substitute what I need for what I have. Over 12 months in and no disasters yet!

Iamnotanugget regarding the changing table, then we are defn going to get that. It will be in the baby room and all my friends/family have always used a changine table. We will also be living with my 2 bother in laws and my parents in law, so out of respect for them, I am not going to pull out a mat and change my baby everywhere... Perhaps its also cultural, but where I come from, we dont really do that. We will get either a second hand cot and new madress or buy a cot in IKEA and yes I know, duvets ect comes later, but baby still need something for the pram and the dumpers around the cot is recommened where I come from, so will follow advices from home, not that I say, UK ones are bad, but I feel a lot more comfortable about following Danish advices.

Ok, more spends for me...

£44 on 3 new bras, which is totally awesome as they're from a very good brand and I have an awkward size.

I just have a few more things to get, but I may retire for the night - hunting down the best deals takes time! Was definitely worth it though, got about £10 in cashback today, plus £10 off in one store, and over 50% off on the two proper shoes (ie not flip flops!). And the bras, of course, the bargainous bras.

Just discovered that we've got twice the credit with the leccy than I thought and that it will be automatically refunded next month. We also get cashback paid next month and we got a bigger sum for the phone upgrade, so all together that's going to help so much. I've had to take time off work for sickness but can't get SSP (and really, really wanting to avoid ESA, I think we may not even be eligible, I often seem to fall into some strange benefits loophole!) so this means I don't have to worry about all of the missed hours so far

I didn't even know you could get credit paid back in a lump sum during contract before this thread, so I'm glad I'm here!